DESIGN OF A LOW ENERGY CONSUMPTION AIR CONDITIONING FOR LONG DISTANCE BUSES.

The mechanical transmission, belt driven, between the combustion engine and the compressor of the A/C in long-distance buses is responsible for a large increase in fuel consumption, hinders user comfort, is energy inefficient and has a negative impact on the environment. There are still no buses in the region that operate with an electric air conditioning system or any other type of energy that offers advantages over traditional vehicles. In search of a solution to this problem, this work explores some alternatives and designs a new air conditioning system for buses where the operation of the compressor and the car engine are independent. The first step was to establish the power, space and weight restrictions that the vehicle could offer, then evaluate the proposed alternatives and size the system. This system has a 28.8 kWh battery bank of 12 modules that feeds three 4.5 kW DC electric compressors that are controlled by a cascade ON/OFF control system and is capable of operating for 1.5 hours autonomously. In the same way, a permanent magnet motor is used, where the compressor was previously located, to play the role of current generator for charging the batteries. With this newly designed system, fuel consumption was reduced by 230 to 280 gallons per year, as well as 12.5% of the costs associated with running the vehicle’s air conditioning system during idling. The new system is also approximately 30% more efficient in terms of air conditioning performace than the previous equipment. However, the new equipment used has high manufacturing costs and significantly increases operational costs. Likewise, the new system implemented represents a physical and regulatory risks to the project due to the implementation of lithium-Ion batteries in the vehicle. And finally, as a secondary benefict, the designed A/C is more environmentally friendly and reduces the GHG into the environment.

Authors

Guette Carrillo, Andrés Camilo

Aguas Acevedo, Jesús David

Coronado Uribe, Jose Manuel

Adechiny Castillo, Juan David

Jiménez Rojas, Daniel Alejandro

Arango Cuevas, Andrés

Ricardo

ADVISOR

Bula, Antonio

Corredor, Lesme

Autores

Villalobos de la Cruz, Said Jesús

Reales Mejía, Gerardo Manuel

Carmona Charris, Analiz

Asuncion Acuña, Ricardo

Andrés de la

Mendoza Guerrero, Michael

TUTOR

Bula, Antonio

Corredor, Lesme